Since 1979, Apple Computer's Educational Grants program has provided computer equipment and training to schools through a nationwide competitive process. Computers in the Classroom tells the inspiring stories of some of these schools, showing how technology has revived the classroom. This illustrated book is an indispensable resource for teachers and parents, showing examples of students' work and with information on funding resources, technical support, software, and where to find electric and print data. 100 illus.
Impelled by a demand for increasing American strength in the new global economy, many educators, public officials, business leaders, and parents argue that school computers and Internet access will improve academic learning and prepare students for an information-based workplace. But just how valid is this argument? In Oversold and Underused, one of the most respected voices in American education argues that when teachers are not given a say in how the technology might reshape schools, computers are merely souped-up typewriters and classrooms continue to run much as they did a generation ago. In his studies of early childhood, high school, and university classrooms in Silicon Valley, Larry Cuban found that students and teachers use the new technologies far less in the classroom than they do at home, and that teachers who use computers for instruction do so infrequently and unimaginatively. Cuban points out that historical and organizational economic contexts influence how teachers use technical innovations. Computers can be useful when teachers sufficiently understand the technology themselves, believe it will enhance learning, and have the power to shape their own curricula. But these conditions can't be met without a broader and deeper commitment to public education beyond preparing workers. More attention, Cuban says, needs to be paid to the civic and social goals of schooling, goals that make the question of how many computers are in classrooms trivial.
These well-respected authors provide a rationale for integrating computers into the classroom curriculum by using them as tool, rather than just an instructional delivery device. Accessible for even teachers with limited computer knowledge teachers are provided with a ten-step NTeQ (iNtegrating Technology for inQuiry) model for developing and implementing integrated lesson plans. Word processing, spreadsheets, databases, publishing software, the Internet, and educational software are all explored, with the goal of demonstrating how to determine whether or not computers should be used and how best to use them. Helping teachers connect what they are learning to their daily planning and instruction the content within each chapter is also aligned with the new ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and Teachers (NETS-T), revised in 2007 and 2008, respectively. A new feature throughout the book, The Teacher Diary, documents teacher experiences as they incorporate the NTeQ model in the classroom. The popular NTeQ Lesson Plans have also been expanded to be included in Chapters 7-11.
The cry for and against computers in the classroom is a topic of concern to parents, educators, and communities everywhere. Now, from a Silicon Valley hero and bestselling technology writer comes a pointed critique of the hype surrounding computers and their real benefits, especially in education. In High-Tech Heretic, Clifford Stoll questions the relentless drumbeat for "computer literacy" by educators and the computer industry, particularly since most people just use computers for word processing and games--and computers become outmoded or obsolete much sooner than new textbooks or a good teacher. As one who loves computers as much as he disdains the inflated promises made on their behalf, Stoll offers a commonsense look at how we can make a technological world better suited for people, instead of making people better suited to using machines.
Computers in the Composition Classroom introduces new teachers and scholars to the best thinking and practices that inform sound computer-assisted writing pedagogy. Chapters focus on critical issues such as literacy and access; identity and online writing practices; composing online; and the future of technology and writing.
In this revolutionary book, a renowned computer scientist explains the importance of teaching children the basics of computing and how it can prepare them to succeed in the ever-evolving tech world. Computers have completely changed the way we teach children. We have Mindstorms to thank for that. In this book, pioneering computer scientist Seymour Papert uses the invention of LOGO, the first child-friendly programming language, to make the case for the value of teaching children with computers. Papert argues that children are more than capable of mastering computers, and that teaching computational processes like de-bugging in the classroom can change the way we learn everything else. He also shows that schools saturated with technology can actually improve socialization and interaction among students and between students and teachers. Technology changes every day, but the basic ways that computers can help us learn remain. For thousands of teachers and parents who have sought creative ways to help children learn with computers, Mindstorms is their bible.
Examines laptop use in classrooms and how it influences literacy, discussing reading and writing challenges of the twenty-first century, the history of computer use in schools, research on schools implementing one-on-one computing, and other related topics.
